


Dyeing the Knot

by adorkablephil (kimberly_a)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Cultural Differences, Established Relationship, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 09:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16155989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimberly_a/pseuds/adorkablephil
Summary: Written for the @phandomficfests bingo challenge on Tumblr, satisfying two squares: “outside pov” and (spoiler) “accidental marriage.”





	Dyeing the Knot

**Author's Note:**

> The Lester boys and their partners go on an adventure

In all their travels, they’d never gotten to visit a temple like this, all alone on an isolated island, surrounded by the lush greenery and extravagant blooms of a tropical forest. The feeling of privacy enshrouded them, and Cornelia knew it must be much more of a relief for Dan and Phil than it was for her and Martyn. Sure, she and Martyn sometimes got recognized, but not with the same ecstatic fervor that Dan and Phil experienced everywhere they went.

She and Martyn usually had some measure of privacy, even on tour. Dan and Phil didn’t.

That was one of the reasons Martyn had suggested this particular outing. The island and temple were so secluded that they would not need to worry about being observed. His conversation with the guide had been hampered by the language barrier, but he had made very clear to them that the island was private and special. The only people on this island with them would be the few monks who lived at the temple, and Cornelia somehow did not think any of them would be taking creep shots with iPhones if Dan and Phil happened to brush hands.

Which gave the boys an opportunity to just relax and be themselves. She knew they needed it.

Their guide led them along a winding path, including shallow steps when the climb became too steep. They ascended higher and higher through the jungle until finally they emerged at the entrance to a stone temple at the top of the hill. The view was incredible, with turquoise water surrounding them on all sides and the tropical forest stretching everywhere below them. The sudden stunning beauty made Cornelia catch her breath. She wished that she had her camera, but they had made a deal that this was to be a no camera, no phone outing. If any disasters happened with the tour venues or stage materials, the problems could wait until they returned to the mainland and their phones.

They would be back in the midst of the tour soon enough. These few hours were just for them.

Their guide ushered them through the elaborate archway into the temple, with carvings all around them, most of which Cornelia couldn’t decipher but once again wish she could photograph.

It was strange to shift her perspective—to interact with the world directly and not be able to capture it with a camera between her and the beauty she saw. The only images she would possess to remember this trip were those in her memory, so she reminded herself to pay attention even more than she normally would.

Two more monks met them in a large room surrounding a low stone altar elaborately carved with vines and flowers. Their guide urged them to sit around the altar and then stepped back into the shadows when two other monks brought out rectangular boxes, each containing small squares of many different colors. They put one box between Martyn and Cornelia, and the other box between Dan and Phil. One of the monks mimed putting a finger into one of the colors and then drawing on his own forehead. Understanding, the four adventurers gazed into the boxes.

What was in these dyes? Were they edible? Would it be rude to touch it to her tongue to test it? She worried that it might, and so she simply followed the instructions she’d been given. She searched for a color that attracted her and decided on a green that reminded her of the jungle stretched below them as they’d stood at the temple entrance. She put her finger into the color and found it to be a smooth, creamy consistency. She wasn’t sure what they were supposed to draw, so she drew a peace sign on her own forehead while Martyn drew something unidentifiable on his own forehead in bright yellow. The temple was so silent that she didn’t want to disturb the hush by asking her sweetheart what in the world that thing on his forehead was supposed to look like, so she would just ask him later.

She glanced over at Dan and Phil to see them barely containing giggles. They were such children sometimes! Phil had drawn something in a vivid blue on his forehead that looked even less like … anything … than what Martyn had drawn. The Lester brothers would never be lauded as great artists. Dan had drawn an easily recognizable red flower on his own forehead, which Cornelia found impressive, since he had no mirror to look into while doing it.

One of the monks then mimed that they should cover their lips in the dye, so Cornelia certainly hoped that it  _was_  actually edible, and not poisonous, as she’d earlier been wondering. The four of them looked at each other, uncertain what to do next, so Cornelia took the leap and acted first. She took the same green dye she had used on her forehead and applied it to her lips with her finger, like lipstick.

All three boys looked less than excited about wearing anything resembling lipstick.

Dan was the first to do it, though—brave boy—and he painted his lips thoroughly with the red dye. It quite suited him, actually, and she thought of how comfortable he had become with painting his nails. Perhaps he would try lipstick sometime, even if only to show his blatant disregard for societal gender norms.

Phil and Martyn followed at the same time, each painting their lips with the same color they’d used on their foreheads. Martyn’s bright yellow lips looked rather surreal, but she imagined her own zombie-like green lips were probably not her most attractive look.

The two monks then stepped closer. One monk sat between Martyn and Cornelia, the other between Dan and Phil … and then each monk guided the pair toward a kiss.

Dan and Phil pulled abruptly away, glancing around with obvious anxiety. When they remembered where they were—the isolation, the complete privacy—they relaxed, but still look uncertain and confused.

Less nervous, Martyn and Cornelia let the monk guide their faces closer together until their lips pressed lightly together, the dyes on their lips mingling with that gentle touch. They smiled at each other as they pulled away, and Cornelia saw that Martyn’s lips were now a blend of yellow and green where hers had touched him. This was what they both loved about traveling, these unusual cultural experiences so far removed from their everyday lives. How often would they have a chance to kiss in an ancient stone temple with their lips painted in dye as monks looked on in approval?

Now that they’d seen what happened with Martyn and Cornelia, Dan and Phil seemed less nervous, and they let the monk guide their faces closer together until their lips touched. It certainly wasn’t the first time they’d ever kissed, but it had been a very long time since they’d done so in front of strangers, so they both seemed hyperaware of the guide and monks around them. Still, they grinned at each other as they pulled apart, both with lips now a lovely shade of violet. They looked absolutely giddy with the freedom of kissing in public without fear.

She hoped someday they would have that every day, and not just on days when they climbed a mountain on an isolated island and kissed until their lips were purple.

The monks indicated that they should all stand, and the monk between Martyn and Cornelia joined their hands together, smiling calmly and peacefully as he did so. She saw the other monk join Dan and Phil’s hands together, and she saw the boys’ fingers weave together to clasp tightly. Dan and Phil looked at each other, and a happiness shone on their faces that Cornelia hadn’t seen in a while. It made her extremely glad that Martyn had arranged this day’s special outing. She looked up at Martyn, and he looked like he wanted to kiss her again but wasn’t sure if it was permitted. She winked at him impishly.

Their guide stepped forward again out of the shadows and gestured to them to follow him. First, he bowed deeply to the monks, who bowed back. The guide then made motions to indicate that they should all bow, and so they did, and again the monks bowed back.

They began descending the steep incline through the jungle, and once they were out of sight of the temple, Cornelia decided she would chance speaking. “That was beautiful!” she whispered to Martyn. “But what’s that thing you drew on your forehead?”

Martyn snorted with laughter, then whispered back, “It’s a monkey!”

Cornelia grinned and teased quietly, “That is one severely deformed simian.” Martyn laughed again.

She saw Dan and Phil, walking ahead of them, whispering quietly to each other but couldn’t make out any of their words.

As they walked, she tried to embed every sight and scent and smell of this experience in her memory. She never wanted to forget it. Today had been truly extraordinary—like nothing else she’d ever seen or done before, or was ever likely to again.

When they reached the dock where their boat was tied, Dan apparently felt that it might be okay to speak openly to their guide again. They’d never communicated very effectively with him, since his knowledge of English was not very advanced, and they didn’t know a single word of his own language, but Dan mimed washing the dye off of his face and made questioning noises, obviously asking if this would be okay. The guide nodded and smiled, gesturing to the water around the dock, and they all knelt to divest themselves of the bright dyes. When they stood up again, Cornelia saw that Phil had not managed to erase all of the blue dye from his forehead, but Dan stepped forward and wiped it away, then kissed him lightly on his un-dyed lips again with a smile. Not to be outdone, Martyn kissed her quickly, and both their lips tasted of salt water. The four of them were all smiling as they boarded the boat and headed back toward the mainland … and their phones … and reality.

 

* * *

 

That evening, she and Martyn went down to the hotel dining room, but Dan and Phil chose to order room service. Cornelia struck up a conversation with their waitress, telling her about their trip out to the island and the temple at the top of the hill.

“Oh!” said the waitress, beaming at them. “Then you are newly wedded! My congratulations!”

Martyn and Cornelia looked at each other in confusion, then back at the waitress. “Wedded?” asked Cornelia.

The waitress looked concerned for them. “Did you not perform the ceremonial rites? It is a great honor to be married at the temple, so it would be a shame if you had visited without performing the ceremony.”

Martyn and Cornelia looked at each other again, eyes wide. “Oh, yeah, we definitely performed the ceremony,” Martyn commented wryly. “So we’re married now?”

“Your souls are wedded forever in bliss,” the waitress explained with pure joy for them shining on her face. “I am very happy for you.”

She walked away with their orders already written down, leaving them to stare at each other. “Oh, Martyn,” Cornelia joked. “I thought you’d never ask.” The both broke into laughter, self-consciously covering their mouths with their napkins in the fancy restaurant.

Martyn got himself under control and said firmly, “I am  _not_  the one who is going to tell Dan and Phil that ‘their souls are wedded forever in bliss.’”

Cornelia smiled. “Oh, I think they already knew that. You just don’t want to tell them they made it official.”

Martyn looked thoughtful, then replied, “Well, if they were ever going to make it official, that’s probably the way they’d want to do it: nobody around to gawk, a beautiful temple…”

“Weird dye on their lips…” Cornelia added with a grin.

Martyn gave her a look. “Private. Special. Unique.”

Cornelia nodded. “Well, that was definitely unique. The part that was most unique was that they didn’t even know they were getting married.”

“One of us is going to have to tell them,” Martyn groaned. “I mean, it won’t be legally binding, but they still deserve to know.”

Their food arrived, and Cornelia took a bite of her delicious grilled fish. “Let’s wait until tomorrow. Let them enjoy their wedding night first.”

**Author's Note:**

> I promise I'll post more "The Roles We Play" within the next week, if anyone is wondering.


End file.
